At a public function Managing Director Ananda Vikatan Publications Pvt Ltd, B Srinivasan, ably assisted by Group Editor T E Manavalan, Group Executive Editor A R Kumar and their team conceived and provided an interesting fare.

Welcoming a wide cross-section of leaders from business, professionals, media and other fields Srinivasan, grandson of the media magnate S S Vasan, explained in lilting Tamil the process of identifying these brilliant entrepreneurs and entrusted the task of presenting the awards to another illustrious team of leaders.

True to the development focus of the publication, the function opened with a comprehensive address on the state of entrepreneurial development by Dr Anantha Nageswaran, investment expert from Singapore. He gave a lucid overview of the distribution of entrepreneurship among the micro, small, medium and large business sectors, and explained the contribution of each of these to national income.

The business empire created by the movie Moghul Vasan and expanded into a variety of journals by Srinivasan made good use of the power of audiovisuals. The sharp and succinct presentations, on the evolution and flourish of the entrepreneurs and their enterprises, were through short films. So effective! The presenters, themselves celebrities, helped draw out relevant info from the awardees who made sweet and short speeches on their successes.

Appropriately R Thyagarajan of the Shriram Group, India’s largest and the most successful non-banking finance company, was the chief guest. Modesty personified, RT in presenting the life time award to Sundram Fasteners’ Suresh Krishna, referred to his (RT’s) effectively ‘copying’ the practices of the high rated TVS’ Sundaram Finance in building Shriram Transport; and from Madras Motor and General Insurance Company (nationalised later) on his honing insurance practices. Significantly the two insurance companies promoted by him have been earning profits from the first year!

I should compliment the cute little Lisha for dancing so well along with the professionals of the Nanda Dance Co. on drawing out special talents of children.

IE, the business magazine from south was launched in 1968 and pioneered business journalism in south. Through the 45 years IE has been focusing on well-presented and well-researched articles. When giants in the industry stumbled to keep pace with the digital revolution, IE stayed affixed embracing technology.